36 players called into U16 BNT camp

U.S. Under-16 Boys’ National Team head coach Shaun Tsakiris has called in 36 players for the age group’s second camp of the year. During the eight-day camp, taking place from March 10-17 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, Calif., the USA will play games against mixed birth year players from LA Galaxy and Liga MX side Club Tijuana.

Of the 36 players called into camp, 29 currently play in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, four play for non-DA domestic clubs and three are based internationally, in England (Vaughn Covil, Southhampton FC and Chitua Hani-Okafor, Sheffield Wednesday Football Club) and Chile (Dylan Kelemen, Club Deportivo Universidad Católica).

This group of players moved up from the U-14 level this year and will spend two years as the U-16 BNT before moving on to become the U-18s. The players are all age-eligible for the 2019 U-17 World Cup, which has an age cut-off of players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002 but will eventually be the core age group for the team that will attempt to qualify for the U-20 World Cup in 2021.

All but one of the 36 players called up were born in 2003. Players Development Academy forward Dantouma Toure is the lone 2004 birth year player on the roster.

Twenty-two players are making their debut with the 2018-19 cycle, while 14 players attended the first U-16 BNT camp of the year, part of the first ever U.S. Men’s Youth National Team Summit.